Different animals use different strategies to survive winter. Some species migrate south, others grow thick coats, and some fatten up or stash food reserves. Many species hibernate or go dormant to get through the cold, lean winter.

Amphibians are hibernators. Some species bury themselves at the bottom of ponds and others burrow into the leaf litter or even underground. Even so, amphibian species are less numerous the further north you go. Most species just can’t tolerate the deep cold and long duration of winters in extreme northern latitudes, even when hibernating.

Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) are an exception. They are the only North American amphibian species whose range extends into the Arctic Circle. They can do this because they have the ability to survive being frozen solid. Check out this video about these amazing frogs.

Early Breeders

This ability to survive freezing also allows them to emerge from hibernation before most other frog species–sometimes when there is still snow on the ground. This early emergence allows them to breed early in the year, which gives their tadpoles more time to develop into adult frogs.

This is a big advantage, as wood frogs breed in temporary ponds called vernal pools that fill up with melted snow in late winter, but dry out completely by the end of summer. Tadpoles that don’t complete their metamorphosis before the vernal pools dry up don’t survive, so the longer they have to grow, the more will survive to adulthood.

Attracting Wood Frogs

Wood frogs can be found throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Upper Midwest states, as well as Alaska and throughout Canada. They can survive in suburban and even urban areas if the right habitat exists for them. Here are some tips to attract wood frogs (or any amphibian) to your yard.

Install a Small Garden Pond. Allow some leaves to accumulate in the bottom of your backyard pond, and make sure it has a shallow area for wildlife to enter and exit. Add plants around the banks and don’t put fish in it. If there are wood frogs in the neighborhood, they may show up in the late winter to lay their eggs.

Leave Your Leaves. Wood frogs spend most of their time in the fallen leaves of the forest floor, where they hide from predators and lie in wait for insects, spiders and worms to feed upon. They also hibernate right in the this leaf layer. So if you have woods on your property, preserve them and don’t rake up all your leaves in fall.

Don’t Use Chemicals. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers can kill frogs or eliminate their prey.

Plant Natives. Frogs don’t eat plants, but they eat the insects and other small animals that do. Native plants support more insects than exotic ornamental plants. A good diversity of native plants in your garden will ensure that there is plenty of food for wood frogs.

Give Cover. Plants also provide cover where wood frogs can hide. Consider creating a brush pile too, which mimics the fallen woody debris naturally found on the forest floor.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/frogs-that-freeze-solid/feed/4102756Functional Decor for the Wildlife Gardenhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/06/functional-decor-for-the-wildlife-garden/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/06/functional-decor-for-the-wildlife-garden/#commentsFri, 27 Jun 2014 11:30:13 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=97524You can create a wildlife-friendly garden that provides birds, butterflies and other backyard wildlife with the four components of habitat: food, water, cover, and places to raise their young. These things will make your garden attractive to all sorts of beautiful and interesting wildlife for you to watch and enjoy.

But don’t forget: your wildlife-friendly garden can be attractive to people as well as wildlife. Here are the latest wildlife-garden items from National Wildlife catalog. They are functional and provide wildlife habitat, but they are also decorative to celebrate the wildlife in the garden.

Amphibians are on the decline globally, and creating habitat in your garden can make a real difference frogs, toads and salamanders. Stop using pesticides, create a garden pond, and provide cover with this attractive “toad abode” and your amphibian friends will repay you by keeping down the slugs and harmful bugs in your garden.

Monarch Floral Glass Birdbath
A birdbath doesn’t have to be beautiful to be functional. Birds are just as happy to drink out of a simple birdbath as a decorative one, but why deprive yourself of something ornamental? Invite your feathered friends to enjoy a splash of cool, refreshing water while providing bright, colorful décor to your backyard.

Dr. JB’s Hummingbird Feeder
Brilliant design makes this bird feeder one of the best and will attract beautiful hummingbirds to your garden. It’s even dishwasher safe, which makes keeping it clean for the birds is easy.

Bat House
Bats will make your yard their home when you hang this bat house designed by the Organization for Bat Conservation. Hang it on a post or the side of a building at least fifteen feet off the ground and you’ll your garden inviting to these insect-eating winged mammals.

Be a Wildlife Gardener

Want to make the most out of gardening, and help wildlife? Become a wildlife gardener with the National Wildlife Federation. It’s free and you’ll get great wildlife gardening tips and learn how to certify your yard as an official habitat.

Red-spotted newts are aquatic as larvae and adults, but they spend their juvenile years on land in a stage known as "red eft", characterized by their fiery orange or red coloring. This red eft was crawling through a garden in New York while the photographer was weeding. Photo by Lynn Cleveland.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/04/photo-of-the-day-red-spotted-newt/feed/052817David Mizejewski talks about Creating Wildlife Habitathttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/david-mizejewski-talks-about-creating-wildlife-habitat/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/david-mizejewski-talks-about-creating-wildlife-habitat/#respondSat, 18 Feb 2012 00:10:29 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=44614This past Saturday David Mizejewski came and chatted with staff and community members at the Willow Creek Hatchery and Habitat Demo Garden in Edmonds, WA.

Here you can see him talking to the group about an amphibian house that they have created. It is a simple design where they have buried a door in the soil and covered it with leaf litter to create great habitat for our reptile and amphibian neighbors.

You can create wildlife habitat like this as well! In a few simple steps you too can enjoy wildlife like frogs and lizards right in your backyard!

How Will Frogs Fare?

Due to their sensitivity to temperature change, scientists found that amphibians were the perfect test subjects. They found that if unpredictable changes in temperature were to occur, amphibians may not be able to escape quickly enough due to their small size. This is enough to threaten many salamanders, frogs and newts, who could find themselves stuck in unfavorable conditions along their travels.

But physical barriers and limitations are not the most pressing issues for amphibians. They are most threatened by wavering and unpredictable temperatures, causing extreme temperature shifts which amphibians may not be able to deal with. Butterflies, reptiles, plants and other species face the same problems, in addition to battling habitat destruction and diseases.

The Times Are a Changin’

Other effects of climate change on animals in the news recently:

Warmer temperatures mean smaller animals. According to the “temperate-size rule,” many animals’ sizes shrink as the planet’s temperatures rise, and most cold-blooded animals are particularly affected. For example, Copepods (tiny crustaceans known as plankton) mature faster but also grow slower in warmer temperatures, so their growth is stunted. Ultimately, this affects plankton-eaters, such as baleen whales, who may become stunted as well.

Scientists in Fort Worth, TX, have rescued thousands of smalleye and sharpnose shiners from the Brazos River, the only place in the world where they are found. The small fish became trapped in the upper parts of the Brazos when the river dried up due to the 11-month drought caused by record-setting temperatures.

The National Marine Fisheries Services will decide in mid-April whether 82 coral species will be listed as endangered or threatened. Of the 82, nine are found in Hawaii, and one species, ringed rice coral, is only found in Hawaii. Coral reefs are facing extinction due to overfishing, pollution, global warning and ocean acidification, all of which also threaten coral reef inhabitants.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2011/09/global-warmings-big-impact-on-small-animals/feed/03270525+ Nature and Wildlife Mobile Appshttp://blog.nwf.org/2011/08/the-best-wildlife-and-nature-iphone-and-android-apps/
http://blog.nwf.org/2011/08/the-best-wildlife-and-nature-iphone-and-android-apps/#commentsTue, 16 Aug 2011 02:59:42 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/?p=17629Do you have a smart phone and want to use it to explore nature?The saying, “there’s an app for that,” rings true in this case. I’ve tested out a number of smart phone applications, and I must say they really can help you find nature, identify, share and enjoy the wildlife you’ve seen.

This is a sister post to “Fantastic Wildlife and Nature iPhone Apps,” and, while you’ll notice a few repeats, I decided to extend the mentions to a few new ones! I’ve linked mostly to the iPhone applications, but most of them have an Android counterpart.

Mobile Apps to Help You Find Parks and Trails

Sometimes, in order to see wildlife and feel close to nature, you have to find it, so that’s what these applications help you do.

NatureFind
Price: Free
Find the closest parks, forests and nature centers with this application. It also will tell you local events that the places are hosting. This application is incredibly useful regardless if you’re in a city or surrounded by suburban houses. (Available only on iPhone)

Trailhead by The North Face
Price: Free
This application uses your current location to tell you the nearest hiking trails. You can find out information about each trail, including their length, story, pictures and tips. Use it when traveling to discover local trails you haven’t explored. (Available only on iPhone)

Other Hiking and Trail Apps to Check Out:

Wildlife Sightings and Citizen Science

When it comes to wildlife observations, there are several useful apps and WildObs is one of my favorites. It makes it very easy for you to report your sightings and identify species, and your observations show up on National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch website. It’s one of the only apps that allows you to report sightings without having a photo and it also tags your location if you so desire.

Sci.Spy
Price: Free
A fantastic wildlife photography and observation application. If you witness anything from people in the garden or on a trail you can snap a picture of it and share it on this helpful application. You can either partake in a mission or share your experiences for fun.

Project NoahiPhone and Android
Price: Free
Check-in to nature with this nature observation application. With your photos you can help accomplish missions and explore other sightings. Project Noah allows you to upload flora and fauna, and once you’ve created an account you can meet other nature enthusiasts as well.

iNaturalist
Price: Free
Here’s another easy to use application that lets you log your wildlife sightings. This application does not require a photo and it gives you ample room for notes. It also automatically fills in the date and your location to help make your observation recording easier.

Wildlife Reference

Audubon Nature Applications
Apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android
Price: Each is $9.99
When it comes to reference guides, Audubon has a slew of useful applications to help you identify specific flora and fauna. They all average about the same cost and have a great number of resources. I’ve listed a few of the applications below so you can get a sense of the way they break them down (both regionally and by type).

If you’re looking for a digital field guide, these are definitely a worthy option.

Need help identifying animal tracks or scat? This app has a number of animal tracks, scat and sound information that can come in handy when you’re exploring the great outdoors. Keep in mind, it helps to measure the length of the track when it comes time to identify! MyNature also offers several other great applications like MyNature Tree Guide and even park specific apps. Check them out if you are planning on visiting a specific area, like the Grand Canyon for regional identification help.

Bird-Specific Applications

BirdsEyeiPhone and Android
Price: Full is $19.99, Lite is $1.99
While I have not tried this one out personally, I’ve read a few reviews that make this a promising application. You can track your bird sightings as well as see local bird observations.

WildLabThis application is part of a citizen science project that I thought was too neat to pass up. It’s technically for the NYC area and has been used by schools and organizations in that area since 2009. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Various iBird ApplicationsiPhone and Android
Price ranging from Free to $19.99
As an owner of iBird Pro and Backyard, I’ve found them to be very comprehensive. They give you range, locations, both an illustration and actually submitted photos of the animal. The apps will also include the call of the particular bird.

It’s a very useful application and testing out one of them is a great way to start your own birding adventure.

Peterson Field Guide
Price: $14.99
This beautifully done birding application has a unique way to identify the birds you’ve seen and you can also log your sightings here as well. It’s incredibly easy to move through the application and offers some real images of the species.

Apps to Help with Plant Identification

Leaf Snap
Price: Free
A joint project by Columbia University, University of Maryland and Smithsonian Institution is helping people identify plants with a photo. Leafsnap uses facial recognition software for trees–all you need is a leaf and a white background and this application should be able to help you. The app currently covers trees of the Northeast and Washington, DC.

Florafolio
Price: $3.99
This app offers an interactive field guide to native plants of North America. This edition focuses on the stunning variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and grasses that are indigenous to Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Florafolio is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to identify species in the wild or garden with native plants.

TreeBook
Price: Free
TreeBook has 100 of the most common trees in North America as a helpful resource guide. It’s a great way to start learning how to identify trees as a beginner and isn’t so large it takes up too much space on your phone. I’ve found it very useful!

As someone who is fascinated with the natural world, I’ll keep checking out applications. I’d love to hear what applications you use in the comment section below! Even if they are from different countries, or if I missed them, I’ll keep updating this post so that it can be a helpful resource!

Now go out, explore, take photos and mark your observations! :)

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2011/08/the-best-wildlife-and-nature-iphone-and-android-apps/feed/7117629Hop to It! Take Part in Save the Frogs Day on April 29http://blog.nwf.org/2011/04/hop-to-it-take-part-in-save-the-frogs-day-on-april-29/
http://blog.nwf.org/2011/04/hop-to-it-take-part-in-save-the-frogs-day-on-april-29/#commentsThu, 28 Apr 2011 20:06:41 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/?p=20551It took me a long time to love frogs. Growing up in New Mexico, I have always been more of a reptiles fan, preferring the horned lizard to spiny frogs. It isn’t that I had anything against frogs, but I was never captivated by them like I was other wildlife.

All this changed last year when my coworker Danielle Brigida alerted me that there were green tree frogs hanging out back behind our office building in Reston, VA. Intrigued, I grabbed my other coworker, Max Greenberg, to help me investigate.

That first day, we counted 11 green tree frogs. I know this because we wrote it down – the first entry in our frog watch. For the rest of the summer, Max and I would head outside on Monday afternoons to count the frogs behind our building. While at first I enjoyed the game of it, I eventually came to really care about those frogs. Today, as Max and I start up the second year of our frog watch, I’m happy to say I’m a true frog fan.

As such, I want to help spread the word about this year’s Save the Frogs Day. Thought up by members of the scientific community, Save the Frogs Day encourages the appreciation and celebration of amphibians by people from all walks of life.

Frog populations have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Up to 200 species have completely disappeared since 1980.

Here are ways you can help:

Tell a Friend: I would have missed out on the wild and wonderful world of frogs if it was not for Danielle. If you are someone who is passionate about frogs, grab a friend and tell them (or show them!) why they should care. Check out these other tips for how to spread the word about the Save the Frogs Day.

Rally for Frogs: Events and rallies are taking place across the country tomorrow. Find one near you and speak up for frog conservation.

A concerned reader writes: “I hear that April is National Frog Month, so I would like to know, how do I tell whether I am a frog? And if I am one, can I get some sort of government benefits during National Frog Month?” (signed) Ambivalent Amphibian, living in the Land of Whimsy (The Land of Whimsy lies precisely on the US/Canadian border; nearly 3,000 miles long, it is nothing wide, making it hard to visit unless you book a flight of the imagination). To these questions I respond:

Dear Ambivalent Amphibian:

A bullfrog in a wetland. The bullfrog is the largest frog in North America, weighing up to a pound.

If you are a frog you get government benefits year round through programs that protect wetlands and other places frogs can’t live without. If you are especially rare, you might get benefits from the Endangered Species Act. You can also get benefits from private efforts, such as protected areas provided by people who sign up for NWF’s Backyard Habitat program and offer living space for frogs.

To get these benefits you must first, as you wisely suggest, establish if you are a frog. Frogs do differ widely from other animals. Here are six ways to tell if you are a frog:

Do friends often call you a toad? If you answer yes, then you may be a frog. Frogs and toads belong to a group scientists call Anurans (meaning, “without tails”), and there is no real difference, scientifically speaking, between frogs and toads. Basically, toads are frogs that may spend most of their time on dry land. As a result, they tend to have drier skin than more water-oriented frog species and their skin is likely to be rougher, which helps camouflage them in the knobby world of dirt, sand and leaf litter. So if you look like a toad, there is a good chance you are a frog.

Do you have four legs? Frogs are four-legged creatures. They also may have webbed feet, a trait especially common in water-loving frogs, or they may have little round pads at the tips of their toes with skin especially designed for climbing, a useful trait for frogs that live in trees. Regardless of your feet, if you look like a toad and have four legs, you may be a frog.

Are your hind legs built for leaping? Frogs typically have long hind legs with extra joints, unknown in mammals, that help frogs leap usually far. Muscles in the hind legs are long and powerful, especially those used for jumping—the muscles used to get legs back into place after a leap are much smaller and weaker. How good are frogs at jumping? Well, the best is probably the Australian rocket frog, which can jump 50 times its body length—covering more than 6 feet of ground. This leap would be like a 6-foot tall man jumping the length of a football field. If you look like a toad, have four legs, and your hind legs are built for jumping, you may be a frog.

When you were young, did you have a tail and gills and live in water? If so, you may have been a tadpole, sometimes called pollywogs. Tadpoles have gills and have long tails that help them swim with speed and agility. Most eat nothing but algae and other small plants, but some may eat insects and their young. They hatch from soft, shell-less eggs that their mothers lay in ponds or in the quiet pools of streams. Mothers may lay their eggs at the end of winter, when the water is still cold and therefore holds more oxygen than it will later in the year when temperatures rise. Not all frogs lay eggs in water, though. Some frogs carry their eggs on their backs, or in their mouths, or even keep their babies in their stomachs until they are ready to enter the world. But most frogs start out as eggs in water and hatch into tadpoles. Then, in one 24-hour period, the tadpole changes into a frog—its eyes move to the top of its head, its gills disappear, its legs show up and its body shortens. If you look like a toad and have four legs, the hind ones designed for leaping, and you were once a tadpole, you are very likely to be a frog.

Do you eat mostly or entirely meat? Most adult frogs eat only insects, worms, and, sometimes—if the frog is large—small mammals and even baby water birds, such as ducklings. The biggest frog of all is West Africa’s Goliath frog, which can weigh more than 6 and1/2 pounds—the size of a small house cat. The largest U.S. frog is the bullfrog, which can reach a full pound. The important point here is, do you eat only or mostly other animals? If you look like a toad and have four legs, the hind ones designed for leaping, and you were once a tadpole, and you eat mostly or only other animals, you are almost certainly a frog.

Can you breathe through your skin? All but one of the 5,000 known frog species have lungs for breathing on land, but they also can breathe through their skin when in water. However, frogs don’t have the ribs and muscles that help birds and mammals to breathe. Frogs breathe by puffing out the throat and squeezing the floor of the mouth, so when you watch a frog breathe, you will see its throat moving. Do your chin and throat move when you breathe, and can you breathe through your skin? Then, if you also look like a toad and have four legs, the hind ones designed for leaping, and you were once a tadpole, and you eat mostly or only other animals, I would say, yes, you are a frog.

Finally, let’s look at some things that don’t rule out the possibility that you are a frog. If you live in trees, you may still be a frog, because many frogs, especially in the tropics, live and even breed in trees. If you are poisonous, like certain plants, you still may be a frog—many frog species secrete skin chemicals poisonous to mammals, birds and other creatures that may feed on them, including humans. Some South American Indian people use the skin secretions of certain frogs to poison the tips of hunting darts. You do not even have to be green to be a frog (though if you live in a pond full of green plants, being green may help you hide from prey and enemies). Some frogs are bright red or blue or yellow—often these bright frogs are poisonous, and their color warns predators away from them.

So that’s it. If you do turn out to be a frog, have a happy National Frog Month and learn more about frogs at: